Garage and Accessory Building Construction

(Single Family and Two-Family Homes)

Below is a table of the general regulations for single and two-family residential garage and accessory structures:

Single Family Duplex or Townhome Front Yard Setback* 25 Feet 35 Feet Duplex/Townhome Side Yard Setback 5 Feet 5 Feet Rear Yard Detached Setback 5 Feet 5 Feet Rear Yard Attached Setback 25 Feet 25 Feet Impervious Lot Coverage 35% (riparian lots 30%) 30% Number of Accessory Buildings 3 3 (includes attached garages) Garage Size Minimum-Maximum 440-1056 square feet 400-1056 square feet Maximum Accessory Building 1200 1200 Square Footage (includes attached garages) Maximum Height Cannot be taller than the height of the house; shall not exceed 12 feet wall height and 15 foot to the top of a flat roof or 18 feet to peak on all other roof types

Setbacks:

• A setback is the distance between the property line and any building or structure where nothing can be constructed. The property line is not usually located at the street, but on the dwelling side of the sidewalk. • No detached garage shall be constructed closer to the front lot line than the principal structure. • A corner lot has two front yards, each side that abuts a street is considered the front yard. • An accessory building less than five feet from the principal building shall be attached to and made structurally part of the principal building.

Property Line

Rear Yard Detached

Front Side Yard Yard Garage House

Street

Adjacent property Front Yard

Sidewalk Street

Lot Coverage: the impervious surface on the lot including, but not limited to the house, garage, driveway, existing and proposed sheds, pools, patios, and other structures or surfaces that stop water for infiltrating into the ground.

Garage House 1,200 120 Feet 500 sq feet square feet

Driveway 300 sq ft

60 Feet Example:

• The house is 1,200 square feet, the garage 500 square feet and the driveway 300 square feet. Together, all the impervious surfaces on this lot total 2,000 square feet. • The lot is 60 feet wide by 120 feet deep, or 7,200 square feet. This is a regular single family home and therefore can have up to 35% of the lot covered with impervious surfaces, meaning they can have 2,520 square feet. • They currently have 2,000 square feet which means they could built up to two more buildings (you can have up to three accessory buildings including attached garages) totaling 520 square feet. • If the existing garage had been over 680 square feet they would have been limited to under 520 square feet because accessory building square footage is capped at 1,200 square feet.

Design and Construction:

• Style, color and materials shall be compatible with the dwelling unit. • All accessory structures over 200 square feet shall have a permanent wood or concrete foundation.

Approval Process: building permits are required for any structure over 200 square feet. All residential structures must be built in conformance with the state building code. Contact the Building Department at 763-576-2720 for information pertaining to permits and their requirements. Structures less than 200 square feet are required to obtain zoning approval through an Accessory Building Site Plan Review Application. Contact the Planning, Zoning and Building Department at 763-576-2720 for more information.